Friday, April 29, 2005

4:18 pm

DAILY GOSPEL
«Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68
    
 
Saturday, 30 April 2005
Saturday of the 5th week of Easter
Today the Church celebrates : St. Pius V  
 

Saint Augustine : “You are not of the world, because I have chosen you and thereby drawn you out of the world”



Acts of the Apostles 16,1-10.

He reached (also) Derbe and Lystra where there was a disciple named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. The brothers in Lystra and Iconium spoke highly of him, and Paul wanted him to come along with him. On account of the Jews of that region, Paul had him circumcised, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. As they traveled from city to city, they handed on to the people for observance the decisions reached by the apostles and presbyters in Jerusalem. Day after day the churches grew stronger in faith and increased in number. They traveled through the Phrygian and Galatian territory because they had been prevented by the holy Spirit from preaching the message in the province of Asia. When they came to Mysia, they tried to go on into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them, so they crossed through Mysia and came down to Troas. During (the) night Paul had a vision. A Macedonian stood before him and implored him with these words, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." When he had seen the vision, we sought passage to Macedonia at once, concluding that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.

Psalms 100,1-3.5.

A psalm of thanksgiving. Shout joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
worship the LORD with cries of gladness; come before him with joyful song.
Know that the LORD is God, our maker to whom we belong, whosepeople we are, God's well-tended flock.
good indeed is the LORD, Whose love endures forever, whose faithfulness lasts through every age.


Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 15,18-21.

If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you. Remember the word I spoke to you, 'No slave is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. And they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know the one who sent me.

Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB



Commentary of the day :

Saint Augustine (354-430), Bishop of Hippo (North Africa) and Doctor of the Church
Sermon 334 for the Holy Martyrs, §1

“You are not of the world, because I have chosen you and thereby drawn you out of the world”


All good and faithful Christians, but above all the glorious martyrs can say: “If God is for us, who is against us?” (Rom 8:31) The world conspired, peoples plotted in vain, princes formed a league against them (Ps 2:1); people invented new torments and thought up incredible forms of torture. They were covered with disgrace and deceitful accusations, they were locked into unbearable dungeons, their flesh was wracked with nails of iron, they were massacred by the sword, they were thrown to wild beasts, given up to the flames, and these martyrs of Christ called out: “If God is for us, who is against us?”

The whole world is against us, and you say: “Who is against us?” But the martyrs answer: “What does this whole world matter to us, since we are dying for the One by whom the world was made?” Thus, may the martyrs say and say again, and may we hear and say with them: “If God is for us, who is against us?” They can let loose their fury, they can revile us, accuse us unjustly, heap calumny upon us; they can not only kill us, but torture us. What will the martyrs do? They will repeat: “But surely, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life.” (Ps 54:4)… But if the Lord is the upholder of my life, how can the world harm me? … It is he who will also restore my body… “The hairs of your head are all counted.” (Lk 12:7) … So let us say – let us say with faith, let us say with hope, with a heart on fire with love: “If God is for us, who is against us?”



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